(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molybdenum-copper composite material which may be used to manufacture parts and tools requiring working temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Centigrade and to a method of making the composite material to a desired form using either cold pressing or selective laser sintering.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Sintered copper alloys are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,056 to Miyasaka illustrates a wear-resistant copper-base sintered oil containing bearing material having a structure which contains 2 to 11% by weight of tin and 1 to 20% by weight of cobalt and further includes 2 to 15% by weight of at least one of molybdenum disulfide, graphite and lead serving as solid lubricants. Dispersed throughout the structure is cobalt at an average particle size equal to or less than 20 microns.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,922 to Aonuma illustrates a wear-resistant sintered alloy having a general composition consisting essentially of in weight ratio 0.736 to 9.65% nickel, 0.736 to 2.895% copper, 0.294 to 0.965% molybdenum, 0.12 to 6.25% chromium, and 0.508 to 2.0% carbon with the balance being iron, and inevitable impurities. The alloy has a metallic structure in which there are dispersed (1) a martensite, (2) a bainite having a nucleus of sorbite and/or upper bainite surrounding said nucleus, (3) an austenite having a high nickel concentration, and (4) a hard phase surrounding with a ferrite having a high chromium concentration and composed mainly of a chromium carbide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,663 to Stucker et al. illustrates a wear-resistant Zirconium-DiBoride (ZrB2)-Copper Alloy composite electrode. Wherein the first furnace cycle produces a sintered shaped form which is about 30 vol. % to about 70 vol. % occupied by sintered ZrB2. Wherein the first furnace cycle comprises heating the desired form room temperature to about 1,300 decrees C to about 1,900 degrees C. Wherein the sintered ZrB2 is then contacted with a copper alloy comprised of up to about 3 wt. % boron and up to about 10 wt. % nickel. Wherein a second furnace cycles is used to heat the sintered ZrB2 and copper alloy above the melting point of the copper alloy to infiltrate the ZrB2 with copper alloy to form a ZrB2/copper alloy composite electrode.
Despite the existence of these materials, there exists a need for a material that offers the ability to create tools and prototype parts requiring working temperatures up to 1000 degrees Centigrade.